Higgins, Caruana present Lawrence Titzler with Bronze Star

by jmaloni

Submitted

Fri, Jul 4th 2014 04:25 am

Brian Higgins, left, with Lawrence P. Titzler.

WWII
veteran, a Tonawanda resident, receives recognition

Congressman
Brian Higgins and Supervisor Anthony Caruana presented Town of Tonawanda
resident Corporal Lawrence P. Titzler with the Bronze Star and other medals he
earned for his service in the U.S. Army during World War II.

"Corporal
Lawrence Titzler played a valuable role in ensuring the safety of his fellow
infantrymen and the eventual Allied victory," Higgins said Thursday. "It is
truly our honor to present him with this symbol of a nation's appreciation."

Town
of Tonawanda Supervisor Caruana added, "America has been blessed with men and
women like Mr. Titzler, who unselfishly sacrificed so much in World War II so
that others could remain free, then returned home to build our homes and our
nation into the world's greatest democracy."

Born
in 1923, Titzler entered the Army Jan. 23, 1943, amidst the nation's
involvement in World War II. He bravely served his country in the Rhineland
region during the European conflict. Titzler was studying engineering at
Princeton University under the Army Specialized Training Program when he was
transferred to the 303rd Medical Battalion, which was part of the 78th
Infantry Division.

After
completed training, in November of 1944, Company B boarded the USS John
Ericsson and 11 days later landed in Bournemouth, England. Soldiers crossed the
English Channel landing in France, boarded a train, passed through Belgium and
eventually into Germany. By December of 1944, the 303rd Medical
Battalion was directly supporting the men of the 78th Infantry
Division.

As
a member of Company B of the Army's 303rd Medical Battalion, Titzler
served as a frontline medic in charge of processing troop information related
to troop movement to prepare other medics for responding to injuries sustained
on the front lines. Titzler and the 303rd Medical Battalion went on
to participate in some of the most historically significant battles in Germany,
including the "Battle at Remagen" and the "Battle of the Bulge."

After
May 8, 1945, Victory in Europe Day, the 78th was sent to Berlin. Titzler
left Europe in January of 1946 and was honorably discharged a month later.

He
returned home to complete his college education, and then worked as a respected
business teacher for 39 years. Titzler raised his family with his wife, Irene,
and eventually assumed the role of assistant principal at Tonawanda High
School, a position he held for nearly 20 years.

Joseph
Elliott, a family friend of Titzler's, contacted Higgins' office in an effort
to make sure Titzler received the recognition he deserved. While doing research
on his grandfather Robert J. Strusa's World War II service, Elliott learned of
a lifelong friendship between Titzler and his grandfather.

After
being transferred to the 78th Infantry Division, 303rd Medical
Battalion, B Company, Titzler met Strusa at Camp Butner in North Carolina. In a
Buffalo-connected twist, the two quickly discovered they lived one block apart
in the city's Riverside area. Immediately, Strusa recognized Titzler's name and
would come to find out that Titzler's father had been cutting Strusa's hair for
years. This was the beginning of a lifelong friendship that brought the two men
through the battles of Europe, back across the Atlantic at the war's end, and
continued throughout their adult lives.

More
than 70 years later, Higgins and Caruana said they were honored to present
Titzler with overdue recognition for his accomplishments and bravery during
WWII. Along with earning the Bronze Star Medal, Titzler was presented with: the
Combat Medical Badge 1st Award, Good Conduct Medal, Meritorious Unit
Commendation, American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign
Medal with 2 bronze service stars, World War II Victory Medal, Army of
Occupation Medal with Germany Clasp and the Honorable Service Lapel Button
World War II.

The
Bronze Star is awarded to members of the military distinguishing themselves by
heroic service while engaged in an action against an armed enemy.